Footage of the naked woman being taken out of the back of the refuse collection vehicle was first published by One News and was later picked up by a number of other local news outlets

A Polish woman who was filmed being pulled from the back of a garbage truck in Paceville on Monday morning has been dealt with sympathetically by a court today, after she was arraigned on a number of charges relating to the incident.

Footage of the naked woman being taken out of the back of the refuse collection vehicle was first published by One News and was later picked up by a number of other local news outlets. The widely-shared video had led to wild speculation as to the cause of her behaviour. The court was told this morning that it was a case of alcoholic inebriation.

The petite 36-year-old limped painfully into magistrate Josette Demicoli's courtroom with her left foot bandaged and wrapped in a plastic bag. The woman, dressed in grey from head to toe, with her hair pulled back in a ponytail, was a piteous sight as she sat in the dock, often on the verge of tears. She was allowed to remain seated during the hearing as she was clearly in too much pain to stand. The cause of the injury was not stated in court, but is understood to have been related to Monday morning's events.

The woman, whose birthday was on Saturday, told the court that she worked at a travel agency. The court was told she only had €65 left to live on. “I don't earn much money,” she said, putting on a brave face and attempting to smile as the court asked her whether she wished to have a lawyer appointed for her.

She was charged with offending public morals, exposing herself in public, causing voluntary damage to private property, breaching the peace, disobeying police orders and being drunk in a public place.

The woman told magistrate Josette Demicoli that she had been unaware of having caused any damages to cameras on the back of the truck but said that she was willing to pay for any damages.

“Yes, I'm guilty,” she said when asked what she would be pleading.

Inspector Trevor Micallef explained that the police had been unable to obtain confirmation of the estimated value of the damaged camera due to yesterday being a public holiday. The truck's owner had told police that the camera was worth €300, but was not answering his phone today, the inspector reported.

The court handed down a 10 month prison sentence, suspended for 18 months, together with a fine of €50. The woman paid the fine in court and is understood to be leaving Malta soon.